Winston & Strawn Hires Trio of Healthcare Partners in Washington

Winston & Strawn has hired three health care partners in Washington, including two laterals from McDermott Will & Emery and a former compliance counsel from pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb.

T. Reed Stephens and Amandeep “Aman” Sidhu join the firm from McDermott where Stephens led the 30-attorney Washington health care advisory practice group.

Winston S. Kirton joins from Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he was executive legal counsel and business adviser on the company’s global manufacturing operations leadership team and the global supply chain leadership team.

Kirton joined forces with Reed and Sidhu after deciding to enter private practice, and together, the three attorneys sought out Winston & Strawn. They will bolster Winston & Strawn’s health care practice through investigative, regulatory, and litigation matters.

“The firm’s growth strategy is very attractive to us and looks like a platform that is going to continue to successfully grow even in these stressful times,” said Stephens. The group will advise clients on governance, investigations, health care fraud litigation, and regulatory compliance.

Many of these clients are encountering regulatory challenges and supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Stephens.

Health care providers, for example, are adapting to evolving regulations on telemedicine, according to Sidhu.

“We’re very specifically helping those clients navigate the very fast moving regulatory and statutory changes going into effect to fast-track their provision of care to folks around the United States,” he said.

Stephens, a former trial attorney in the Civil Fraud Section of the Department of Justice, has represented life science entities and health systems in corporate compliance matters and in high-profile cases brought under the federal False Claims Act. He also advises clients on risk management matters that involve health care fraud and abuse, congressional investigations, foreign anti-corruption laws, mergers and acquisitions and public policy.

Sidhu is a litigator who has focused on government investigations, qui tam whistleblower litigation, and national and international risk management concerns including FCPA compliance. He represents health systems, specialized and innovative physician practice groups, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Kirton previously led compliance and ethics for one of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s international business units operating out of London. He has also held positions in compliance and legal at other multinational companies including Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer Inc. and Bayer Corporation.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Reed and Aman on previous matters, and Winston Kirton is well-known for his excellent work in the biopharmaceutical industry,” David Rogers, managing partner of Winston & Strawn’s Washington office, said in a statement. “They are an excellent fit in our D.C. office, as we continue to support our clients’ growing needs, particularly in the areas of government and internal investigations and corporate compliance.”

McDermott didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on its partners’ departure.